Cabinet



Jan. 18,1944. w. GERSTEN CABINET Filed `June 22, 1942 IIV/f...

IN VEN TOR. h'/fdn? 'ers' few Patented Jan. 18, 1944 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2339',694 .CABINET William Gersten, Brooklyn, N. Y.

v'fAppli:ationJune.22, 1942,1Seriafl No.Y 447,900

V'(iClaims.

The 'present inventionirelates tolcabinets of the 'type having "a pairf-fslidable "doors, and 'more particularly adaptablefwhere door `movement is vertical.

An'object of this invention is to provide in cabinets --and'other' 'box-like structures, novel and improved `constructionsin sliding doors which when movedto position to closefthecabinet, will automatically engage ieach other l to maintain sllch'olosed'condition, 4andw'vhi'ch doors can be easily disengaged when desired, 'to enable free operation of either of them.

,'Anotherobjectjhereof is toprovide a novel and improved 'construction to accomplish the above,

.to use, and eicient in. carrying out the purposes for which is isdesigned.

Other objects and 4advantages will .become manifest as this disolosureproceeds.

Inthe accompanying drawingsimilar characters Aof reference .indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a cabinet embodying the teachings of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof in section,

showing the door members in locked position and the cabinet in closed condition.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the door members in free position, that is, they are disengaged from each other.

Fig. 4 is a similar fragmentary View, showing one of the door members tilted, whereupon both doors are free to be slid to uncover or open either the upper or lower halves of the cabinet opening.

Fig. 5 is a similar view to that of Fig. 2 showing the upper door member slid downward to open the upper half of the cabinet opening.

Fig. 6 is like Fig. 5 where however, the lower door member is shown raised to uncover the lower portion of the cabinet opening.

Fig. '7 is a section taken along lines 'I-l in Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view of the cabinet positioned so that movement of the door members is along the horizontal; all foregoing views showing theA cabinet wheresuch line yof movement is vertical.

In the drawing, the numeral I9 designates generally a cabinet .fstructurewhich may be of any -desired materialand'as a matter of example may be of breboardas to its body I I, vtop and bottom members I2 and I3, and'panel door` members I4 andI4','.suitably'woodrtrimmed asis known in the' art. The wooden stiles I5 are alongthe vertical sides of the cabinet opening, in which stiles are the :longitudinal grooves I B, .in confronting relation, wherein saiddoor members are slidably mounted for movementalong the vertical. `The -width of .said grooves ISzare suicient to permit superimposition of-the door members I4 and I4', therein.

Between the .stiles I5, each of the door members I4 and I4', :at their bottom ends, have mounted thereon, extending in part forwardly of -their front surfaces, the kslats Il and I8, respectively, which slats are provided with indentations v I9', or with other suitable-.handle means. `The :slat I'I,has a seat I9,'for.contact with'theupper edge of the lower door member I4', when the door members are inthe relation 'illustrated in FigsZ,

.and said slat is preferably downwardly bevelled along its bottomedge asfatli), for guiding the door members into'overlapping relation when moved towards each other from their relative ,positions shown irrFig.,'3,` to those of .Fi-g. 2.

In the closedcondition ofthe cabinet as shown `inlig. 2., the upper door member I4 is maintained in its raised position because downward movement thereof is prevented by the stop effected by the upper edge of the lower door member I4 against the seat I9. The lower door member I4' could be raised but a very short distance indicated by the clearance A between the top edge of the upper door member I4 and the ceiling of the cabinet. In effect, the doors in this position illustrated in Fig. 2, are self locking for all practical purposes.

In operation, to release the door members I4 and I4', so that either of them becomes free for full sliding movement, it is first necessary for the upper door member I4 to be raised a little into fA, so that the bottom edge of slat Il, shall clear the upper edge of the lower door member I4', as in Fig. 3. Then, in the embodiment shown, the upper door member is -tilted in the grooves I 6, by pulling slat I'I forward, wherebyeither of the door members may now be slid their full range along the stiles I5, to open the cabinet Ill, as desired. Although the upper door member I4 may fall while the lower door member I4 is being raised, it will automatically be raised along with the lower door member I4', upon contact of slat I8, with the slat l1.

Although in the preferred embodiment herein set forth, this invention has been applied to the drop door type of cabinet, where door movement is along the vertical and therefore the door members are upper and lower, such choice of direction was only as a matter of convenience and not of limitation, and` this invention is equally adaptable where door movement if along the horizontal, as where the cabinet shown would lie on its side or rear wall of body Il, as shown in Fig. 8, and the door members would then be termed right-hand and left hand. It is therefore intended and desired that the terminology employed anywhere herein be deemed chosen for the purpose of facilitating definition, and not by way of restriction.

This invention is capable of numerous forms and various applications without departing from the essential features herein disclosed. It is therefore intended and desired that the patent shall cover all patentable novelty herein disclosed and that all embodiments shown or referred to shall be deemed merely illustrative and not restrictive; reference being had to the following claims, rather than to the specific descriptions herein to indicate the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. In a cabinet-like structure having an opening and a pair of confronting grooves, one along each of the sides of said opening, a pair of door members, having handle means, slidably mounted in said grooves, adapted upon movement of one and opposite movement of the other of said door members to close said opening; end portions of the door members overlapping each other at the mid-region of said closed opening; a stop element extending from a surface of one of the door members and contacting the overlapped edge of the other door member; one door member being adapted to be slid along the grooves in a direction away from the other door member to a position where the door members are not overlapping each other, and one of the door members being adapted to be tilted in the grooves when the door members are not in overlapped position, to avoid portions of the other door member which obstruct movement thereof, whereby both door members are free to be slid along the grooves to uncover a portion of the opening from either end thereof.

2. An article as defined in claim 1, wherein the edge of one of the door members which is overlapped when said members are in position to close the opening, is bevelled to guide the overlapping of the door members when moved towards one another from the position where the door members are free of one another.

3. In a cabinet-like structure having an opening and a pair of vertical confronting grooves, onealong each of the sides of said opening, a pair of door members, having handle means, slidably mounted in said grooves and capable of superimposition, adapted upon upward movement of one and downward movement of the other of said door members to close said opening; end portions of the door members overlapping each other at the mid-region of said closed opening, a stop element extending forwardly from the front surface of the upper door member and contacting the upper edge of the lower door member; the 1upper door member being adapted to be slid upwardly along the grooves to a position where the door members are not overlapping each other, and then tilted forwardly downwardly in the grooves to avoid portions of the lower door member which obstruct movement thereof, whereby both door membersare free to be slid alongthe groovesfto uncover a portion of the opening from either end thereof.

4. An article as dened in claim 3, wherein the lower edge of the upper door member is bevelled to guide the overlapping of the door members when moved towards each otherrfrom the position in which said door members are free of one another and coplaner.

5. In an article as defined in claim 1, including a stop element extending from a surface of one door member, adapted for contact with an edge of the other door member in any positionv of said other door member along the grooves away from closed position while the first mentioned door member is being moved, whereby said other door member is automatically moved along the grooves.

6. An article as definedv in claim 3, including a stop element extending from a surface of the lower door member, adapted for contact with the lower edge of the upper door member in any of the lowered positions of said upper door member while the lower door member is being raised, whereby the upper door member is automatically raised. y

WILLIAM GERSTEN. 

